Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you. (Rom. 15:24a)

Sometime during his second missionary journey, Paul told the Roman brethren in an epistle of his desire to see them and to preach the gospel there (Rom. 1:8–16). Rome would be one of his stops on a westward journey which would take him as far as Spain (15:24). After at least two years in prison in Caesarea, Paul appeals to the hearing of Nero Caesar (Acts 25:11), and, in this week’s reading, we see him finally making his way toward the great capital city. With him are at least two of his old traveling companions: Luke the narrator (whose presence is indicated by the pronoun “we” throughout the chapter) and Aristarchus of Thessalonica, who is likely the same man mentioned among Paul’s company in Ephesus (Acts 19:29).

Paul, along with certain other prisoners, would be in the care of a centurion of Augustus’ band. It is possible that this centurion may have been acquainted with a colleague named Cornelius who had been stationed in Caesarea, where he was converted to the Christian faith by the apostle Peter (Acts 10). Whether or not there is any connection, this centurion showed a great deal of respect for Paul, even letting him leave the guard in Sidon to go and greet his brethren there (Acts 27:3), perhaps some of the same brethren with whom he had lodged for a week on his trip to Jerusalem two years previously (21:3–5). When Paul returned, the centurion commandeered a ship traveling toward Rome under Caesar’s authority (26:6). From Syria they sailed south of Cyprus and on to Crete, where they had to make a decision as to whether to sail on through the foul weather or to spend the winter in one of the ports of Crete. Against Paul’s advice, the decision was made to sail on to a more comfortable port on the western side of the island, but, when a storm began to drive them off course, the sails had to be lowered, and the ship drifted into the raging sea. When the ship began to drive itself toward an island off the shore of Crete, however, the crew had no choice but to hoist the sail and let the tempest drive them even further away from shore. 

After many days in a violent storm at open sea, it appeared that death was imminent until Paul revealed that God would bring them safely to land. One night, two weeks after their departure from Crete, the shipmen determined that they were near some island, and, when daybreak came, they began to loose the lifeboats under the pretense that they would cast anchor. Paul then informed the centurion that they must all stay in the ship in order to be saved (27:31). There are many today who want to make their own way to salvation, but the only way to salvation is God’s way! God has chosen the church as the vehicle for man’s salvation, and except we remain in that vessel, our hope of salvation is lost, too! 

After reading the text listed below, see if you can answer the following questions. 

Non-trivial Questions (Acts 27:1–44)
1. What was the name of the centurion who had charge of Paul?
2. Where did the owner of the ship intend to lodge for the winter?
3. What drove the ship away from its intended destination?
4. Who assured Paul that he would stand before Caesar and that the men on the ship would survive?
5. How many were in the ship with Paul?
6. When the ship was wrecked offshore, what did the soldiers intend to do with the prisoners?